The Encounter with the Minidues
by Ilana Revere
Summary: Norman's niece, Kara, needs a place to stay and Roger cannot refuse, but Kara is hiding something from the Smith household.


  
~I don't own Big O or any of the characters, and I don't know what to say, so I'm sorry! This is my sorry excuse for a fanfic! Please! Don't hurt me!!~  
  
  
  
Norman sped down the street on his motorcycle and hit a large amount of traffic. He expected this, and turned a corner down an alley. He came to a complete stop and almost fell off the bike when he saw what he almost collided with.  
  
"Roger Smith," Dorothy turned her head to the dark haired man standing with her on the balcony over Paradigm City.   
"Mmm?" He was clad in black.  
"Where is Norman?" Dark red locks of her short hair flew across her dark eyes. Her skin was so pale it was almost white. There was something special about this android, but Roger couldn't quite put his finger on it. Not yet at least.  
"Norman should be back very soon. Are you worried about him Dorothy?" A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He enjoyed watching her show signs of emotions. Normally, he would be inquiring from Norman just where Dorothy might be, but he trusted Norman and knew if he was gone, there was a damned good explanation for it.  
" I do not want you to be mad at him if he doesn't come back in time to fix your dinner. I will start it, if you wish." Dorothy's eyes looked ahead of her and over the city of amnesia.  
  
Where was Norman?  
Roger turned and walked inside, followed by Dorothy. Dorothy was about to push her way past Roger to go into the kitchen when he grabbed her by her shoulder to stop her.  
"Dorothy, I think we should wait for Norman. Besides, last time you cooked I couldn't leave the house for a week."  
"Then perhaps you should learn how to cook your own meals," Dorothy shot back.  
Roger chuckled and took a seat at the empty dinning room table.  
"We will see what Norman is up to..." Roger murmured  
  
They sat in silence for nearly two hours before they heard Norman return. Out of the elevator came Norman with a suitcase in hand. Nonchalantly, Norman announced, "Master Roger, we have a guest."  
From behind Norman stepped a small figure in a black hooded coat. It was a child! Two hands pulled back the hood revealing a young girl no older than 11 years old. She had light brown hair which was held up in two high pigtails. Her eyes were a pale blue and her nose was lightly covered in freckles.  
"This is Miss Kara, my niece, Master Roger." Norman placed a hand on the child's shoulder.  
"Norman, might I have a word with you? Alone," he added harshly at the last moment when he noticed the girl beginning to follow after them. They moved into a separate room to discuss their new guest.  
Dorothy and Kara were left alone in the main room, staring blankly at one and other. Kara shoved her hands into the pockets of her black pants, looking up at Dorothy with a small smile. Dorothy nodded to the girl.  
  
"Norman, why didn't you tell me you had a niece?" Roger crossed his arms over his chest, his back facing the elderly butler.  
"I am sorry sir, but it was a family emergency."  
Roger sighed. "Bring her things into the spare room, Norman."  
"Yes sir, " Norman replied, then he adding before he stepped out," Thank you, sir."  
  
Roger awoke to the sound of Dorothy on the piano. He rolled onto his stomach and pulled his black sheet over his head.  
Roger opened his bedroom door, jet-black hair disheveled, to find Dorothy at the piano with Kara at her side, studying her every move. He ran a hand through his hair as he approached the piano.  
"Miss Dorothy Wayneright already has a pupil? Come on Dorothy, how long have you been playing?" asked Roger with a smirk.  
"That does not concern you, Roger Smith. Kara wishes to learn something new. I have found that not all humans are like you," Dorothy replied. She seemed to be more irritated with him lately. He turned his back to the two of them, rubbing his chin and wondering what he could have done to upset Dorothy.  
"Good morning Mr. Smith," Kara said softly with a smile. "Uncle Norman has fixed you your breakfast and it is waiting for you. Dorothy said you were a late riser."  
Great, this kid had only been with them for one night and she was already getting comfortable with the place. How long would she be staying?  
  
"Until I can manage to locate her older sister, Carmen," Norman said, adjusting his eye patch.  
"So, Norman, if I helped you locate this Carmen, then Kara would no longer be staying with us?" Roger raised a dark brow to Norman.  
"Correct Master Roger."  
"Well, then I will be going out Norman."  
"When shall I be expecting you to return, sir?"  
"Later, but set the table for supper anyway, for three."  
  
Kara sat in the back seat of the Griffon as Roger sped down the road, honking for other cars to move out of his way. People didn't know how to drive in this town.  
"So, Kara, what is your older sister like?" Roger smiled, looking in his rearview mirror at the girl. She was looking out the side window as if she was daydreaming. Once she heard the question, she seemed to light up and smiled up to him.  
"Carmen? She's great! She is 19 years old and is so pretty. I hope I will be like her when I am older."  
Dorothy shot Roger a glance, so he dared not ask anything else concerning the subject of Carmen's appearance.   
"Carmen called Uncle Norman, you know, Mr. Smith. She wanted him to find me so we could be a family again," Kara said, staring once again out of the tinted window of the black sedan.  
"STOP!" Kara screamed.  
Roger hit the brakes and the sedan came to a screeching halt. Kara hopped out of the car, looking startled. She turned around, eyes dancing about her new surrounding, outside the vehicle. She was wide-eyed and out of breath.   
"Kara?" Dorothy said softly.  
"Kara, get back in the car," Roger hissed. He didn't want to waste anymore of his time.  
Kara looked at the two of them, and not saying a word, she turned and quickly ran down an alley. Roger could have sworn he saw a look of sorrow before she took off. What a wonderful way to start the search.  
Dorothy and Roger got out of the car and Roger clicked the button on his remote to put the armor on. He couldn't have anyone harm his baby.  
"Roger? Roger, something is wrong."  
"Yeah, Dorothy, I noticed."  
  
"Where the hell is that kid?!" Roger Smith looked at the sky. It was getting late. They had been looking for Kara for over an hour. What the hell had gotten into that kid to make her jump out of the car like that? He intended to find out, once he got his hands on her.  
"She has a name, you know," Dorothy said, looking up a fire escape.  
"Dorothy? Do me a favor."  
"What is that, Roger?"  
"Shut up."  
A loud bang was heard besides them. A dumpster moved about 12 inched in their direction. Roger sneered and took a step back. Dorothy did the same. As she did, the dumpster was lifted into the air by a robot. It looked a lot like a megadues, but was only about 12 feet tall. The robot hurled the dumpster at them, making the two jump out of the way. It smashed into the wall of a building behind them just as the got out of the way. Roger jerked his head up and jumped to his feet. Dorothy was already standing.   
Two cold, electronic eyes stared down at the pair. A deep mechanical voice bellowed at them, "Leave, and you will not be harmed."  
"Funny. Seemed a lot like you were trying to harm us when you threw a dumpster at us," Roger growled up at the thing.  
The robot turned its head to the side as a small figure flew down from above at it. It was Kara!  
The robot caught Kara in midair with one hand. Her arms flapped wildly at it as she growled and spat down at it.  
"Give me Carmen back!"  
The minidues turned its head once again so it was facing Roger. It raised Kara high in the air and then threw her at Roger, knocking him off of his feet and into a wall.  
"You have been warned," The minidues turned and leapt into the air, over a fence and out of their sight. Roger, lifted his head and attempted to get up, but Dorothy knelt beside him, placing his head in her lap.   
"Do not try and get up right now, Roger."  
Roger sighed and closed his eyes.  
  
Kara refused to come out for dinner that night. Roger wasn't sure whether it was due to embarrassment or for other reasons. Norman was in her room with her to help comfort her, so Dorothy and Roger sat alone at the table.  
"She's a special young girl, Roger," Dorothy said, looking down at her empty plate.   
Roger leaned on his elbows, staring at her. "What do you mean by that, Dorothy?"  
"Many people would want what she has."  
"Which is?"  
Dorothy looked up at Roger. "The future."  
  
  
Norman had gone to bed, as well as Dorothy, even though androids don't need sleep. Roger walked quietly down the hall to Kara's room. He tapped softly on the door three times and when he heard no reply, he slowly pushed the door open.   
Her noticed first that her bed was still made. On top of the black comforter sat Kara, hugging her knees, her eyes red from tears. Her hair was down and Roger noticed for the first time just how long it was.   
"Hey, kid," Roger said softly, kneeling beside her bed.   
Her pale blue eyes looked into his.   
"Carmen is gone. I lost her. It-it was too strong for me," she whispered. Her gaze then dropped to the floor.  
Roger sat on the bed beside her, placing an arm over her shoulder. He sat with her like that for a few moments before he said, "You can stay here with us until we find her, Kara."  
Roger looked down at the girl under his arm. She was asleep.  
  
[weeks later]  
  
Roger Smith awoke to Dorothy playing the piano. He emerged from his room to find Dorothy in her normal black dress with Kara at her side. Her attire was also to his satisfaction. She wore a long black shirt with a black long-sleeved shirt.  
"Do you have to play that every time I sleep in Dorothy?"Roger grumbled.  
"I will play every time you sleep in."  
"Does it have to be that same damned song every time, Dorothy?"  
"Dorothy told me you don't appreciate fine music, Mr. Smith," Kara grinned to him.  
  
"Norman, I think I liked her more when she was shy," Roger said, placing his napkin on the table after he finished his brunch.  
"I believe, sir, that our very own Miss Dorothy is rubbing off on Kara," Norman added as he cleared off the table. Just what he needed, another Dorothy.  
Just then, Dorothy stepped into the room. "Kara and I will be going to the market now, Norman."  
"Yes Miss Dorothy. When might we be expecting you back?"  
"When I return, Norman. I have to do a few things anyhow, I might as well go with you two," Roger said to Dorothy as he took Kara's arm and led her into the elevator. Dorothy followed after them.  
  
Dorothy was one of the fastest shoppers Roger had ever seen. She didn't waste anytime and managed to have everything she needed for dinner in less than ten minutes. Kara, on the other hand, wandered off by herself and it took Dorothy and him about fifteen minutes to find her.  
Once all the groceries where in brown paper bags, Dorothy and Kara went to the Griffon while Roger stayed behind to help an elderly woman with her bags. Once he finished, he turned just as a gun fired.  
Running towards where he had heard the sound, Roger found, to his surprise, the gunman struggling with Kara. He froze in his tracks.  
"Stupid...kid..." growled the man, trying to break free of her grasp. She was putting up a strong fight. Somehow, the man managed to free on hand, pulling it back and slamming across the side of Kara's face. Her head jerked to the side and he then proceeded to shove her to the ground, raising the weapon at Dorothy.  
"Lady, all I want is some money," sneered the crook.  
Dorothy stayed put. "Roger, wait," she said calmly to Roger.  
Kara slammed her body into the crook's arms, knocking the gun to his surprise, away from him. Roger Smith quickly picked the gun off the ground and was aiming it at the man when he saw Kara grab the neck of the man's shirt.   
"Dammit kid, get out of the way!" Roger snarled. That kid was always getting into trouble.  
Kara ignored Roger's demand, driving the fist of her free hand into the crook's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to crumple over. She then lifted him off of the ground, holding him over her head with both of her hands, throwing him into a car several yards away.  
Roger Smith was so surprised he almost dropped the gun.   
"Ano-Another android, Dorothy? Why didn't you tell me?" Roger whispered to Dorothy.  
"I didn't tell you she was an android because she is not an android, Roger Smith."  
"But she can't be human."  
"She is no android."  
Kara dropped her gaze. "Mr. Smith, let me explain please."  
Roger ran his gloved hand through his hair. "Yes, I will. You will explain this to Dorothy and me once we return home."  
Kara nodded to Roger, staring only at her own feet. "I will, Mr. Smith."  
The ground beneath them shook. Behind Kara stood the minidues. A thick, metal hand reached out and wrapped its thick metal fingers around her neck, lifting her off of the ground. Kara's eyes widened as she gasped for air, kicking her legs.  
"You had been warned, Roger Smith," boomed the minidues. Its grip tightened and Kara's face began to turn from red to purple and from purple to blue. Her eyes bulged.  
Roger aimed the gun and fired five times at the head of the robot, but each shot he fired was in vane. The minidues leapt into the air, dented, but still fully functional, kicking off the side of one building, cracking the wall, and throwing Kara's tiny form onto the concrete below. The ground cracked beneath her body.  
The robot landed with a loud thud. It faced Dorothy and Roger, raising it's hands, palms out, towards them. Two chained hooks fired out at them, whizzing past them and into a wall behind them. It then took a step back, pulling the chains as well as part of the wall out and at Dorothy Wayneright and Roger Smith.   
  
Roger awoke to a powerful headache. He couldn't hear the racy music of the piano. That was odd, because normally Dorothy was up before him.  
" Dorothy!" Roger called out, sitting up in his bed. He winced as he felt his head throbbing.  
"You shouldn't get so excited, Mr. Smith," Kara said softly. He felt her small hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down into a reclining position. "Norman is working on Dorothy right now. She will be fine. You know, Roger Smith, she pushed you out of the way." Kara stood up, looking to Roger out of the corner of her eye.  
"What?"  
"She pushed you away from the wall when it came down. It didn't hit you, but you did manage to hit a trash can and lose consciousness."  
"Dorothy..."Roger rubbed his eyes and sat up again. He stared at Kara and said, "What the hell are you?"  
Kara turned so her back was to him. "I will not avoid this question any longer. I am not related to Norman, if you haven't already figured that out. I'm a bio-android. That means, simply, that I was born a human but I have...been changed. My second father improved me. I have been updated, as he hopes to do to all the people in Paradigm. Carmen and I-"  
"Hold on a second. Your second father?"   
"I was getting to that. My first father passed away and my mother remarried. Carmen was eleven years old at the time, I remember it perfectly. I was two years old. How I could remember this? It is because of my heightened ability to retain and recall memories. Carmen, too, has this ability, as well as others. Father worked on her first, since she was older and willing. He was a brilliant scientist, much like his brother. His name was Thomas K. Wayneright."  
"Wayneright?"  
"He was Timothy Wayneright's younger brother."  
"So...you and Dorothy are cousins."  
"Not by blood. She is an android after all, but technically, yes, we are. She is the only family I have left. I thought, well, the truth is I saw her and I remembered our relations. I followed her and came upon your household. I ran into Norman when he was out, and I told him of my...situation. He suggested that I say I was a relative until he could find a good time to tell you."  
"So, Carmen never contacted Norman. Dorothy knows of your...relations, as you so well put it."  
"Dorothy knows one of my fathers was the brother of her father."   
Roger Smith frowned. This kid had been lying to him since the beginning. He hated liars. Not only that, but she had asked Norman and Dorothy to keep a secret from him as well. Roger stood up and stared down at the child, running a hand through his disheveled black hair.   
" I think you should leave now," Roger said quietly. It was almost a whisper.  
Kara nodded. "I understand, I will show myself out." Her eyes were filling with tears. He had hurt her, but she had brought it upon herself.   
Kara walked out of his room and he head the gates to the elevator shutting. Then they opened once again.  
Kara moved quickly past his room, rubbing her eyes. He heard some noise in the spare room and she passed his door again. She paused and looked in at him.   
Kara lifted her suitcase and said" My things." Then she added softly, "Tell Norman and Dorothy I said goodbye." She ran to the elevator again, and did not come back a second time.  
  
Dorothy seemed so peaceful. Roger couldn't believe this was the same person, or android, that constantly corrected him and pointed out his flaws. She was lying on her bed. Her skin was so pale, but then again, it always was. He sat down beside her on the bed. His hand rested on her stomach. Norman had told him she would be completely functional, once her systems kicked in. That would be any time now. Norman and he had worried her memory chip had been damaged. They would soon find out what kind of damage had been done.   
"Dorothy, you are going to be all right. I am going to get that robot that did this to you, but why did you have to take the hit for me?" Roger took her right hand in his, looking at his feet.  
"Because, Roger Smith, I can take hits better than you can. It was the most logical move. You human form cannot take damage like my form can."  
Roger looked at Dorothy. She was staring up at him with her coal colored eyes. He smiled down to her. Her eyes then moved down to the hand on her belly. Roger's cheeks reddened as he slid his hand away.   
"Kara is gone?"  
Hearing this caused Roger to jerk his gaze back up tot Dorothy is surprise. How did she know Kara had gone?  
  
The black sedan did a 180 degree turn into an open parking space. Most people would be disturbed by Roger Smith's driving, but his driving techniques didn't even cause Dorothy to flinch. Dorothy and Roger got out of the vehicle and walked side by side down sidewalk. Only a few people were out that afternoon, perhaps due to the heavy rain. Roger Smith held his large black umbrella over his head and Dorothy was close enough to him so that she wouldn't get wet in the rain.  
"So, Dorothy, do you think of Kara and her sister as your relatives?" Roger had his black shades on despite the weather.  
"They are the cousins of the real Dorothy Wayneright," Dorothy said in her soft monotone voice.  
Roger winced slightly. He didn't like it when Dorothy referred to herself as if she wasn't the real Dorothy. Dorothy Wayneright was the girl that worked for him. She was the one that played those god-forsaken songs whenever he needed to be woken up.   
Roger asked in return, "But what are they to you?"  
"If you are asking me this question to find out if I care about the whereabouts of Kara and her sister, I do. Kara should not be wandering this city alone and I am frankly surprised at you, Roger Smith, for letting her leave."  
They stopped once they reached the alley where they first had their encounter with the minidues. Roger peered down the alley and walked a few yards into the deserted area with Dorothy beside him. The rain was getting heavier.  
"Roger, we have to find her." Dorothy turned and walked back towards the car, leaving Roger staring down the alley alone.   
He probably would have stayed there for another minute or so if he hadn't heard Dorothy shout," Roger! Roger Smith!!!!"  
It didn't take him very long to find out what Dorothy was screaming at. On the top of his car lay Kara on her back. Her hair was wet, like Dorothy's. She appeared to be unconscious. Her legs were hanging over the side of the car, as well as one of her arms. The lower portion of her shirt had been ripped off, exposing what seemed to have once been her belly.  
Instead of blood coming out of Kara's torn flesh, multi-colored wires and metal tubes were visible now that her torso had been opened. Some skin on her arm had been ripped off as well, and Roger could see a metal shell under the layer of epidermis.   
Roger dropped his umbrella and it rolled into the gutter. What had happened to her? His head shot around so her could look over his shoulder. Dorothy legs dangled down over his head. Her dress blew wildly in the wind that was picking up quickly. The minidues towered above him. It had Dorothy in its powerful grasp.  
Before Roger could raise his wrist to his mouth, the minidues took off in a run down the street, turning a corner.  
  
Roger Smith put the armor on the Griffon with Kara inside. She was still unconscious, and he knew that even if she did wake up, it was very unlikely she could get out of his car. He walked into the bar quickly and the bartender held up a beer for him as he passed by. Roger took it. He needed to relax. He needed to think strait. Okay, then only one beer.   
"Timothy Wayneright was a genius. So was his brother, Thomas. They worked on similar projects. R Dorothy and Dorothy 1 were the most successful. Thomas was never very happy about that."  
"So what projects did Thomas Wayneright work on?" Roger asked, taking a swig of his beer.  
"Thomas was a family man. He didn't have a lot of time on his hands, and his wife was ill. She asked him to take care of her children for her most of the time."  
"So he altered them? He experimented on his step-family?!"  
"Keep your voice down. Thomas Wayneright wanted to protect his new family. He and his new wife had something in common. Each had lost family and memories in the incident 40 years ago. Each of them wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. She wanted her husband to work on her children, Roger. She wanted them to have a secure future."  
"That still doesn't make it right to work on a 2 year old girl and a 12 year old girl," Roger said softly, setting the bottle down on the table in front of him.  
"I am not suggesting it is. I am just telling you what I know. It is very unfortunate Timothy passed. That friend of yours, Dorothy, seemed to care a lot about him. She'd do everything she could to protect him, am I right?" The Big Ear shook his newspaper, crossing his legs.  
Roger pondered this for a second. Dorothy would do that. "Yes, you are."  
"Carmen is not dead, Mr. Smith. I am sure you are aware of that. Reports of smaller robots, a lot like megadueii, have been given to that friend of yours. You do you Major Dan Datsun, correct? You should look into that some more before you proceed with anything else."  
Roger stood, throwing the folded bills onto the Ear's Table. The Ear's newspaper landed on top of them.   
"Of course. Thank you for the information," Roger said quietly.  
"You know Roger, some of the smartest people in the world make mistakes. We are, after all, human. Nothing is perfect," He added as Roger walked back out to his car.  
Roger had dropped Kara off with Norman before he went to see Datsun. Norman could probably figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.  
Datsun was in his office. "Carmen Wayneright was never reported missing. She's supposed to still be living with her family. Yeah, I have heard of her before."  
"So you've got nothing on her then?"  
"Zip, not that I would show it to you, Mr. Negotiator. But I will tell you this, Carmen is looking for her younger sister. Her name's Kara, about 10 years old, maybe you've heard of her," Datsun looked up at Roger suspiciously from his desk. After Roger shook his head, Datsun looked back down at the papers in front of him. "Anyway, Carmen's father has reported her sister missing. I spoke with her father personally, over the phone. He sounded very worried about his daughter. He's related to that friend of yours, Dorothy Wayneright."  
Roger nodded. "Thanks Datsun."  
  
Norman leaned down over Kara.   
"Master Roger, what would you have me do to her? I am not quite familiar with this kind of system. I don't think anyone but her creator is."   
"I was afraid of that Norman. I guess I'm going to have to just go out and try and find Mr. Wayneright alone," Roger sighed and began to walk towards the elevator as Kara sat up suddenly.   
"Back-up systems, functional. Model K-1 on." She was speaking in the same way Dorothy spoke. Her eyes flew open and her normally black pupils were glowing like there were golden lights behind them. Norman took a step back cautiously. Roger simply turned and waited for her stand. Kara blinked twice and the lights behind her eyes disappeared.  
"Kara, come with me," Roger said sternly, turning and stepping into the open elevator.  
Norman was left alone in the household once again. He began to fix their supper for that night.  
  
"You have no idea where you are going, Mr. Smith," Kara said, looking at where she lost some of the skin on her arm.  
"There was a reason I took you with me. I was hoping you would help me locate your step-father," Roger said as he skidded around a corner, back wheels going over the curb.  
Kara watches a couple that had been holding hands jump out of the way. "I am not too sure where he lives currently, Mr. Smith, but I can take you to where he worked on my sister and myself."  
"Did anyone ever tell you Kara you sound very mature for your age?" Roger looked over at the girl.  
Kara turned to him with a dour look on her face. "I was upgraded since we last spoke, by my father. My knowledge now surpasses that of a norman 10 year old human, now."  
"And you're not a bit righteous about it either, I see," Roger smirked.  
"Turn left here and go down that road."  
  
The warehouse sure as hell looked deserted. Dead vines clung to the walls of the building. Roger stood in front of the building, hands in his pockets. It was still early in the day, but clouds concealed the sun. It looked like no one had touched this place in years.   
"This place sure is away from everything. I doubt anyone is here," he muttered. He began to walk back to his car.  
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, Mr. Negotiator," Kara said, grabbing his arm, leading him towards the building.   
What an interesting phrase. Roger had never heard that before.  
"Roger?"  
"What is it, Kara?" Roger stopped in front of the door to the warehouse.  
"Trust me. When you get Dorothy back, leave, okay?" Kara stared up at him with her light blue eyes.  
Roger nodded down to her. He wouldn't do that, but he should let the kid think that. He tried the door. It was opened.   
The windows weren't very big and they were broken, but they let in a sufficient amount of light. The ground was covered in broken glass, most likely from the broken windows. Large mechanical arms hung from the ceiling. Metal tables rested in the middle of the building. Large glass tubes lines the walls. The tubes had a circumference that was large enough to fit a person. They were each over 15 feet tall. Some of the tubes were broken, but some were still intact. Those that were not broken were filled with an off-white liquid and misshaped forms floated inside of them. All but one, and that one held Dorothy.  
Her dress had been removed. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her knees were pulled up to her chin. Her headband was out and running into her head were dozens of wires. A screen below the tube that held Dorothy was on. A code Roger didn't recognize flashed over and over again on the monitor. Her eyes were shut.  
Roger sneered. He turned to Kara, feeling the rage building up inside of him. He couldn't take anymore of her crap. He picked Kara up by her shoulders and lifted her up to his eye level.  
"What the hell are they doing to her?! I don't want anymore vague answers from you either, Kara!"  
Kara stared blankly at Roger Smith, so he slammed her into a wall. Dammit, she still had that god damn look on her face. Kara really didn't care about what was happening to Dorothy.  
"Mr. Smith, Dorothy is fine. I will help you get her out of there," Kara said in almost a whisper.   
Roger frowned, but let her down. Kara walked to Dorothy's monitor and looked over the screen. She glanced up at Dorothy. Roger approached Dorothy's tube and placed his hand on the glass. His hand slid down the side of the glass and he looked to Kara. She had taken a panel off the computer and was ripping out wires. She stood up and glanced up at Roger.  
"Break it."  
Roger shrugged and elbowed the glass. Pain shot up his arm, but he accomplished nothing. He wheeled a table over to the tube, picked it up and slammed it into the glass, causing it to break. As the water poured out, Roger could see all the wires that had been connected to her break off. Most of the water had been drained from the tube, so Roger made the whole in the tube wide enough for him to pick Dorothy up and out of the tube.   
"You can wrap her in this," said a voice behind him. Angel.  
She held out a large pink coat. What was with this woman and all her pink? She smiled softly to him. She was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. Her glasses had pink rims. Roger didn't bother to ask her about her choices of attire. Dorothy needed to get out of there.   
Angel Put the coat on a table and Roger struggled to lay Dorothy down onto it, folding the jacket around her and buttoning it up quickly. She felt lighter, but still was heavier than a normal girl.   
Angel took her legs and Roger held her from under her arms. Roger was about to instruct Kara to open the car when he noticed she was gone. Roger took a step forward, leading Dorothy towards the car when he heard the clicks. The clicks of computers turning on. The hum of the electricity. This didn't sound good. Dorothy's eyes opened and she let out a high speed burst of sounds. At least she was working.   
"I can stand now," Dorothy said calmly. Angel dropped her legs and Dorothy stood up, looking down at the pink coat she was wearing.   
Roger frowned. She must have followed him, but why would she be here? Must be something to do with memories. That was it. The fact that Kara and her sister could retain them and that they might have old memories is what she wanted.  
  
Roger flew threw the air and into a table, falling over it and landing on his stomach. The table landed beside him. He heard Angel scream and looked up to see the minidues. Dorothy's eyes were wide...with fear? Angel was cowering. The robot stared them down, raising an arm in the air.  
Roger raised his wrist to his mouth, whispering, "Come in, Big O."  
The arm of the robot shifted and a long blade slid out of it's arm. It brought it's arm down at Angel. Angel rolled under a table nearby and the arm of the minidues came crashing down onto the floor of the warehouse. The ground beneath the minidues cracked. The robot was lifted high up into the air as the Big O came pushing its way up through the floor. Roger ran towards it and hopped into its open palm, finding Dorothy there beside him.   
In the name of God, ye not guilty  
  
The minidues didn't waste any time getting back up. Two small missiles shot up at the Big O, exploding upon impact. No damage done. The Big O fired one missile in return at the smaller robot, but the minidues simply ran out of its path.   
"So this little thing had a lot of agility; I can take care of that," boasted Roger at the controls.  
The Big O shot a laser from it's eyes and it crashed into the minidues, causing it to fly back through a wall of the building. This would be an easy victory for his megadues. The Big O stepped out of the warehouse. The megadues' body was already halfway out of the roof. Big O took a step forward, making the building come crashing down as the robot moved through it and out into the open.   
"Looks like the game is up," Roger pulled the lever back causing the Big O to pull it's arm back. The was a loud bang and it's fist collided with the fallen minidues. Roger hear a loud scream.   
Kara, who was dragging an injured Angel out of the warehouse, had tears running down her cheeks. She dropped Angel and ran towards the robot. What the hell was wrong with this kid? This robot had tried to kill her on several different occasion and now she was running to it's aid?   
No. It hadn't tried to kill her. It merely injured her. It tossed her to the side. No, it couldn't be.  
"Carmen? Carmen, can you hear me?" Kara's hands hovered above the head of the minidues. It was Carmen inside there.  
Roger Smith turned to find Dorothy just as surprised as he was.  
  
Roger and Dorothy stood beside Kara and Carmen. The robot seemed to be still functional. Dorothy leaned closer just as the arms of the minidues shot up into the air. The metal on the arms seems to fold outwards and retract inside of two human arms. The same thing began to happen all over the robot's body, except for her head and the feet of the robot, which stayed in place.   
Kara pulled the top part of the robot off of Carmen's head. Before them lay a young woman with strait black hair. Her face was dirty with soot, most likely from smoke after she had been attacked by the Big O. Her eyes were shut and a cut on her forehead bled severely. Bruises covered her body.   
"Carmen..."she whispered. Kara's body shook. Roger looked down at the girl and her sister. Kara ran her hand down her sister's face, smearing blood down her cheek. Her head dropped and she covered her face with her hands.  
Dorothy placed a hand on Kara's shoulder, but the girl pulled away and glared up at Dorothy and Roger. "She's dead. You let her die. You killed her. You killed my sister!" Kara screamed at them, body shaking.  
Dorothy and Roger took a step back as Kara rose. She lunged at Roger, a fist meeting with his stomach, causing him to fall over and curl up.   
A bullet hit Kara in the shoulder and she fell back. Angel aimed and fired again, hitting Kara in the back. Angel just wanted the technology of Kara and her memories, Roger knew. Whenever memories were involved, Angel would show up.  
Kara rose, her pupils glowing brightly as she glared at Angel. "Bad move," she growled as she leapt at her, ramming her body into her and making her fly back, losing control over her gun and firing it two more times in the air. Kara turned her head to Roger, one arm limp at her side.   
"Kara, I didn't know, I wouldn't have done that to her if I'd have known, and you know that!" Roger said defensively.  
Dorothy stepped in front of Roger, holding a hand out to Kara. Kara's glare faded slowly and she dropped her gaze.  
"Kara, you know she isn't dead. She's been like this for a long time, we can fix her," Dorothy said calmly.  
Kara simply nodded, turning and walking back to her sister, falling to her knees beside her. "I've known that too long. I want Carmen back, not that I ever really had her. But I have those memories of when she was human for a short while. She isn't happy like this. She isn't Carmen." With this said, Kara carefully lifted her lifeless sister into her arms, walking towards the debris left by the Big O's short battle with its first minidues. Kara looked back at Dorothy, Roger and Angel.   
"See you around."  
  
Angel said some of the files left on the functioning computers in the old lab had a little information on Thomas Wayneright's work, but nothing good enough to make anything like Kara or Carmen again. Most of the information on them was kept in the memories of Wayneright himself, who disappeared, and in the memories of Carmen and Kara.  
Everything was back to normal at the Smith household. Norman cooked and cleaned with the help of Dorothy, who still work up Roger early on his days off. Something did trouble Roger, though. He would find Dorothy looking into the empty guest room every so often. He even went in their once himself to see if she was sleeping in there. But no, no one was there.   
One night, weeks after the occurrence, Roger lay awake in his bed, on his back, hands behind his head. A soft tap was heard at his door.  
"Come in."  
Dorothy opened the door and stood motionless in his doorway.  
"Something the matter, Dorothy?" Roger rolled onto his side and patted an empty spot on his bed next to him.   
Dorothy walked in and sat on the bed beside him. "I thought for a short while," she paused, looking at the wall, "that I might have family again."  
"Norman and I aren't family to you, Dorothy?"  
"Norman takes care of me, as do you, Roger Smith, but-"  
"But what? I'm not family?"  
"No."  
"You're brutal, Dorothy Wayneright,"Roger said with a smirk.  
"I feel differently about you."  
Feel? Dorothy was starting to confuse him. Where was she going with this? She couldn't possibly have feelings for him.  
Roger sat up a little in his bed and moved closer to Dorothy. "Miss Dorothy Wayneright, you couldn't possibly mean you have feelings for me."  
Before he could anything to what he said, she leaned forwards, her cool soft lips meeting his. Of course, he didn't object. In fact, Roger leaned in and placed a hand behind Dorothy's neck, his lip movements matching hers. When did she learn to kiss like this?  
He sat up more in the bed, other hand sliding down her back, trying to pull her closer, but Dorothy pulled her head back, breaking the kiss just to look into his eyes. Roger smiled to her and it almost seemed like she smiled back to him.  
"Thank you, Roger Smith. I will Let you sleep now," And with that said, Dorothy rose off his bed and walked to his door, looking back at him, waiting for him to respond.   
Roger leaned forward. A little too fast for Dorothy, but he could tell she liked it. He smiled to her and nodded. "Of course, hope I helped a little. Goodnight Dorothy. You know you're welcome to come here anytime if you need to talk. Night or day."  
"Yes, Roger. I think I will take you up on that offer again, soon," Dorothy said as she shut the door. He chuckled. How much more obvious could she be? But he didn't care, in fact, he looked forward to the next night.  
  
  
End~~  
~Yeah, well I was in a rush to finish, I hope it didn't make you sick. Thank you for reading this, I did have fun writing it.~ 


End file.
